Georgirenes J., “A Description of the present state of Samos, Nicaria, Patmos and Mount Athos”, London, Pitt, 1678. First edition, 8vo, 17x12cm, pp. [14], 112. Complete. Contemporary full leather slightly rubbed, rebacked, inside fine. A very good copy. Together, a copper engraved loose map: Joseph Georgirene Samiorum Archiepiscopi.: Insula SAMOS Polycratis Reg. et Pythagorae Phyl. patria ferum gregum terraeq. fictilis prout hodie Turcarum dominio incolitur. Amsterdam P.Schenk [c.1685-1690]. Loose Folio 59x50cm, copper engraved map of Samos, with inset maps of Nicaria & Patmos. Contemporary fine colours, almost fine condition. A UNIQUE COMBINATION. One of the very rare travel accounts for the Aegean, being one of the very few early accounts ever written by a Greek, together with his separately printed map. Georgirenes was a leading Greek figure of 17th century. Born in Milos around 1635, he had spent 6 years of his early career in Athos before heading to Constantinople, when he met several Western officials and travellers there. He became Archibishop of Samos (1666-1671), he found refuge in Patmos monastery (1671-74) and finally he escaped to Europe to collect funds. He arrived to London, with the help of Lord Berkeley. Berkeley convinced him to write a book for the Aegean islands and Georgirenes followed that suggestion in an effort to raise funds for the construction of a Greek church in Soho, London. As most of the travel books of the time, the text had been accompanied by a map, but the financial shortages made impossible the engraving of the map. So the book had been issued without map and in an octavo format. A unique source for the Aegean islands. The plan for the Greek Church in London failed for several reasons, and Georgirenes was obliged to escape quickly from England in 1682, when his friends lost their power and he was facing a high chance to be imprisoned (Baron: From Samos to Soho, the Unorthodox Life of Joseph Georgirenes, Oxford 2017). Recent researches reveal that Georgirenes escaped to a Spanish territory, in Low Countries. There, around 1685, he sold the manuscript of his map to Peter Schenk (1660-1711, a German cartographer, active in Amsterdam since 1675, with tide connections with England) and finally left, around 1690, to South America. He is still alive in Buenos Aires in 1697 performing Baptisms. In the meanwhile, Schenk had been able to publish separately the map (most probably before 1689), with the financial support of the young prince Lebrecht von Anhalt, who covered the engraving of the map by Bernhard Georg Andermuller. The map of Samos was not a commercial success and it was separately printed only once. EXTREMELY RARE. The book is VERY RARE and one of the very few travel accounts written before the 19th century by a Greek. Atabey 489, Blackmer 672 (only the book without the map for both references).